


One More Time

by KyeAbove



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Gen, Past Injury, Some Humor, The Employees Literally Knocked Some Sense Into Joey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-07 14:36:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14673174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyeAbove/pseuds/KyeAbove
Summary: It’s been a month since Henry quit, and he’s been comfortable and happy since. But that changes one unassuming morning.Joey has come to apologize and make up for everything he's done, but Henry's not quite sure what he can and cannot forgive.





	1. Chapter 1

It was a pleasant morning, until there was a knocking on Henry’s door. Henry opened it expecting nothing strange. What he saw was a bit strange, but not that out of the way.

Johnny Lawrence stood on Henry’s porch. A combination of a grimace and grin was on his face, and his tired eyes still showed his amusement. Henry was quite confused. Why would Johnny be here, all the way from New York state?

“Hello, Henry. It’s been a while.”

It had only been a month since Henry had quit. It had been a month of bliss.

“Yes, it has.” Henry fumbled with the neck of his sweater, looking down at his boots. Was Johnny here to try and convince him to come back? It was a rather odd choice in person, if so. Henry wouldn’t budge for anyone Joey sent, but it would have made much more sense to send Wally, or Sammy. Not Johnny.

“A lot has happened since you left. Joey tried to scrap the plans for the amusement park, and put in an order for this _Ink Machine_ , and well…” Johnny stepped back, and then gestured for Henry to follow him.

Was this a trap? Henry was sure of it. But maybe it wasn’t.

Henry followed Johnny down the steps, more curious than anything. Johnny led Henry towards the car he’d driven in, and Henry stopped dead when he saw who was in the passenger's seat. Joey.

“Is Joey here to apologize?” Henry asked, with no hope in the question.

“Actually, yes. See, when Joey placed the order, Grant took one look at him, laughed, and then punched him in the face. Everyone got into it, and-” Johnny flexed his hand, almost giggling, “Afterwards he asked if someone would drive him here to see you.”

Joey was out of the car as soon as Henry was near. Joey really did look like he got beat up by an angry mob. There were bruises forming everywhere, he had two back eyes. His nose, while not broken, was heavily bruised on the bridge, and Joey was holding a cloth over it.

Seeing Joey now made Henry want to add to Joey’s injuries.

But then Joey started crying, and Henry had spent enough of his life with that ass to know that these tears weren’t faked.

“To think, you said I’d be the one crawling back to you.”

“I realize now that I tend to make mistakes.” Joey stepped forward slightly, using the car to balance himself, but Henry stepped back.

“Yes, I’d say so.”

“Do I have to beg for your forgiveness or can I earn it?”

Henry wasn’t sure.

“Johnny. What has he done since I left?” Henry asked. Johnny, sitting on the hood of his car, spread his fingers and started counting up everything in his head. After a few seconds, a mildly horrified look crossed his face.

“Over all, he’s been a terrible person. Naturally.”

“Yes, and now I see that!” Joey claimed, and Henry wanted to believe him. Yet, for all Henry knew, Joey was crying from pain, and not regret.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Why not?”

“You haven’t given me a reason to trust you in years.”

Joey hung his head in shame.

“Can I have one more chance? Just one?”

Joey looked back at Henry, his miserable eyes catching Henry's distrustful gaze.

Henry gave in, at least a little.

“This is a terrible idea. Come one you two. It’s far too warm outside.”

Joey’s eyes lit up, and a grin crossed his face. Certainly not a devious and plotting grin, Henry would give him that.

Sliding off the hood of the car, Johnny gave Joey a mock affectionate pat on the shoulder.

“Good job! You almost seemed human!”

Instead of brushing Johnny off like Henry expected, Joey wrapped an arm around him. Johnny immediately piped up with the answer, before Henry could even ask the question.

“I broke his cane by accident when we were beating him up.” Johnny admitted, cheerfully.

Joey glared at Johnny.

“I hope you know that’s coming out of your salary.”

Johnny gave Henry a knowing look. That wouldn’t happen, if Grant had anything to say about it.


	2. Chapter 2

Joey made coffee, while Henry sat on the couch, waiting for Joey to state his case or an excuse. Henry mostly focused on Johnny during this time. Johnny was fluttering around the room, pointing out Henry’s various collections and knickknacks. His energy was much like a child, and Henry was quite sure it was from sleep deprivation. 

Once he had two mugs of coffee, Joey slid over the short distance to the couch, and sat down beside Henry. Joey handed Henry one of the mugs. Henry took a sniff, and was mildly shocked when it smelt like chocolate and hazelnuts. Joey usually gave Henry black coffee in the past, even if Henry had out his preferred additions in plain view.

So that meant that Joey was either really trying to repair their friendship, if he remembered this simple fact of coffee, or he was set on being a suck up. 

The two didn’t say a word to each other, and were content on either watching Johnny or staring into nothingness while they sipped their coffees.

“What year is this from?” Johnny asked, sitting down beside Henry, holding a figurine. Henry's mother had given that to Linda some years before. God knew where Linda was, but that figurine remained. 

“I’m not entirely sure, but it's at least a few decades old. It belonged to my mother.”

“Oh!” Johnny had something of a lecherous grin on his face, rather suddenly and suspiciously. “How is Minnie these days?” 

“Umm…” Henry really didn’t know how to respond, but Joey took offense for him. 

“Please tell me you weren’t physical with Henry’s mother.” 

“I wasn't. She's not my type. I did get physical with your mother though, Joey.” 

Johnny’s grin deepened, as this was clearly something he'd been planning. Henry wondered why Johnny was considered the nice one of the Lawrence brothers about the studio, when he could be like _this._ Sammy was generally just a grumpy sweetheart most of the time. 

"You're not a nice person.” Joey wailed, making the movement to dump his coffee on to Johnny's lap. What saved Johnny was him quickly pulling Henry onto him, and Joey stopped in the last moment. 

Johnny clearly counted it as a victory. 

“After we got orphaned, Sammy made it clear we were never going to back down to people like _you._ You think I'm not a nice person, because _you're_ not one.”

“You say you were orphaned, but I can’t help but wonder if your parents just abandoned you and your siblings because they didn't like you either.”

“I will not confirm nor deny. I like keeping people in the mystery of it.” 

While that was certainly an issue, now wasn’t the time to confront it. 

Henry moved back to the middle, and forced Joey and Johnny back to their sides. It was only a matter of time before it turned into a physical fight, and Henry didn’t want anything in his house getting broken in a scuffle. 

“So, Joey. How are you planning to redeem yourself? I’m sure you had time to think while making coffee.” Henry asked, hoping Joey had at least considered something at some point. 

Joey uncrossed his arms, and put his left pointer finger up like he was going to say something, but whatever it was caught in his throat. Quickly he recomposed himself.

“Well....huh. Henry, I have to be honest with you. For most of the trip down here, I held the opinion that I could just say sorry, but then I actually saw you… and I guess I was wrong about that.” Joey laughed nervously. 

“Very wrong.”

“I got your coffee right. Sorry for always forgetting you don’t take it black.” 

“That’s a start.” 

“It is?” 

Joey’s voice sounded so hopeful. Henry had fully intended to finish with an insult, or at least a criticism. Yet, with that hope, fagil and pained, Henry’s heart cracked a little, and he refrained. He’d let Joey have this. 

Maybe this was the first step to forgiving Joey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course Henry has a coffee machine in his office. He’s not the coffee fiend Sammy is, but he’d have one. I know it in my heart.
> 
> If this was a bad end story, this chapter displays examples of why Joey decided to stuff Johnny into the pipe organ. Some of many. Luckily for Johnny, this story is about avoiding a bad end.


End file.
